DES3 — Sorghum bicolor

Summary

SORBI_3005G002700 (DES3) on sorghum chromosome 5 encodes a fatty acid desaturase with omega-3 and omega-6 desaturase activities, including linolenate delta15 desaturase and acyl-lipid desaturase functions. The gene is associated with unsaturated fatty acid anabolism, response to thermal stimulus, cold, and jasmonic acid content. It has been connected to alpha-linolenic and oleic acid content, xanthophyll content, photosynthetic rate, stomatal resistance, seed growth and development, disease tolerance, salt tolerance, heat and chilling tolerance, water use efficiency, aphid response, flower development, and plant growth traits. The product localizes to plastid, chloroplast, and ER membranes. Studies of related genes in other species link the family to cold stress tolerance, pathogen defense, wounding response, and trienoic fatty acid biosynthesis.